Book Review: The End of Hunger

This book creates a big problem for me. There is so much to work through and think through it’s impossible to put it in a book review. This is a book for thought, for contemplation, for discussion, and then for action.

The book is edited by Jenney Eaton Dyer and Cathleen Falsani, but the feature is the articles by so many people involved in the issue of hunger, food insecurity, and the work to actually think of ending hunger by 2030.

There are three main parts:

1. The overview of the problem
2. Discussion on the crucial time period of the first 1000 days for children in the world.
3. An offering of the way forward to actually tackle this issue of hunger.

There are also action steps. There is a section on advocacy and philanthropy and how to get involved.

Thankfully, there is also a glossary to refer to when terms like “food insecurity” are thrown around.

The book isn’t about looking at something getting worse. They start off with actual good news and move to the opportunity before all of us: actually bringing an end to hunger.

Hunger and extreme poverty isn’t “getting worse.” That is a double-edge sword. The reason is this: if something is getting “better” we quit paying attention. The media goes away, our interest goes away, and we get less worried for some reason.

The challenge is still there because the last half is actually the most difficult part of the equation. Ending hunger takes more innovation. There are creative solutions that will still cost funding that need to be explored. The work is possible, but the effort needs to be great. It is time to set a bold goal and explore the possibilities.

Each chapter is worth considering, thinking about, and discussing.

The book raises the challenge and helps us understand we all can play a significant part in ending hunger. It can be as simple as our own food preparation (buy fresh products in smaller amounts, prepare them, and eat them without throwing out waste). It can be as complex as foreign policy (because the strife of war is the leading cause of food insecurity in the majority of the world).

All along that scale are opportunities for involvement. The book left me with the HOPE that this goal is absolutely possible. It left me with hope because each one of us can contribute in some way. From less waste to donating, to volunteering, to advocacy, we have a place in this task.

This is a book I will interact with on my blog far more than a book review. The matters of advocacy and the understanding of government and non-profit cooperation have to be examined and challenged in our thinking. The issues concerning American poverty and hunger need to be faced.

Read this book to be challenged. Read this book to be inspired. Read this book to find a way to dive into the solutions.

This book was sent to be for review by IVP Books. I am not under obligation to give this book a good review.